The origin of place-names in the U.S.A. is as complex and heterogeneous as American society itself. The intricate geographical nomenclature in that country includes many foreign names, among them some of Polish origin.We have limited the scope of this paper to places that bear Polish names, and have excluded those settlements that either no longer exist or have been swallowed up by larger conurbations. We have not paid attention to names such as Stanisławowo or Wojciechowo, commonly used by the American Polonia denoting only districts within large urban agglomerations, furthermore, towns whose names have been changed from Polish to American forms were omitted from this analysis.Towns and settlements bearing names of Polish origin have been correlated with the distribution pattern of Americans of Polish descent in the U.S.A.This article presents a synthesis of the research which has been carried out so far; the work is by no means completed.

The present article is based on the concept of the concentration of spatial phenomena. This method was applied to population studies long ago. However, it is still useful nowadays as it helps to measure the distribution of phenomena in quantitative terms. The application of the method to demographic-geographical research was recently discussed by O. T. Duncan and in Poland by R. Jedut. Both emphasised that the results obtained depend on the basic reference unit. The method is especially useful in any comparative study. The comparison in time of the concentration of population on the present territory of Poland (1910—1931/33—1950—1960) was undertaken recently and the results published both in Polish and in a shorter form in English.

Consequently, it seemed interesting to try and apply this method to the comparative study of different areas at the same time (comparison in space). In this article the concentration of population for 1960 in eight countries of East-Central Europe is analysed. The study includes: Al-bania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Rumania and Yugoslavia.

From an analysis of allocation, intensity and structure of the com-modity flows we shall attempt to define one of the essential aspects of the structure and the regional typology of the country or of the proces-ses of differentiation and integration of the spatial pattern. This kind of research was undertaken by E. L. Ullman from a quantitative point of view and then included by W. Isard into the system of regional analysis. In Poland Z. Chojnicki achieved some interesting results.

It should be emphasized that when in applied research of the physical size of commodity flows for the regional analysis we encounter two drawbacks. Firstly the research of the physical volumes of commodity flows do not offer any chance of refering to series of economic categories e.g. the value of production or the national income. Secondly such rese-arch raise no doubts while the flow of goods of homogeneous com-modities is considered; however, as soon as we try to transform much of the analytical information and turn it into a synthetic form, doubts and reservations arise.

Bearing in mind the aforesaid doubts and restrictions concerning the limited application of physical volumes of commodity flows in the regional analysis I should like to present, some results of studies on the dynamics of these flows. I shall therefore concentrate on the problem of influence of the structure and changes of commodity flows on the dyna-mics of the formation of regional balances of commodity flows.

The present article gives a general outline of the problems facing the less developed regions of Poland and their activation. The author also draws attention to certain very important questions connected with these problems. The article gives prominence to economic matters and emphasi-zes the theoretical aspects of applied research and its results.

The survey of the less developed regions and of the prospects for their activation has aroused the general interest of Polish research centres and public opinion. These problems are also taken into considera-tion by the State in its economic policy. It is thought that they may also interest foreign readers.